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Galilee Coal Project (Northern Export Facility)

Project overview*

EIS statusApproved with conditions
DescriptionOpen-cut and underground coal mines (with a total yield of 40 million tonnes per annum and capacity for future expansion); and railway line. The Coordinator-General's environmental assessment is dealing with the Mine and Rail components only. The Port component will be assessed separately once details are finalised.
ProponentWaratah Coal Pty Ltd
Location/s
  • Mines: Galilee Basin, 30 km north of Alpha and about 450 km west of Rockhampton
  • Railway line: from mines to the Abbot Point State Development Area (APSDA) near Bowen
Map
Local government/s
  • Barcaldine Regional Council (mines and rail)
  • Isaac Regional Council (rail)
  • Whitsunday Regional Council (rail)
Key features
  • 4 x underground coal mines
  • 2 x open-cut coal mines
  • 453 km standard-gauge railway line
Investment$6.4 billion (mine and rail component only)
Jobs
  • 3500 (construction, mine and rail component only)
  • 2325 (operational, mine and rail component only)

* Project information supplied by proponent and subject to change.

Port facility assessed separately

This environmental impact statement (EIS) concerns only the mines and railway line components of the project. A port facility component will be assessed separately under another process.

Environmental impact statement (EIS) process

DateActivity
19 December 2013Commonwealth Minister for the Environment's approval of controlled action, subject to conditions. More information
9 August 2013Coordinator-General's report on EIS (PDF icon 2.72 MB) released.
8 April 2013 to
6 May 2013		Supplementary information to EIS public consultation.
28 June 2012Request by Coordinator-General for proponent to provide supplementary information to EIS.
26 September 2011 to
19 December 2011		EIS public consultation
28 August 2009Terms of reference for EIS (PDF icon 532 KB) released.
30 May 2009 to
29 June 2009		Draft terms of reference for EIS public consultation.
20 March 2009Project deemed a controlled action by Commonwealth Minister for the Environment. More information
13 February 2009Project referred to Commonwealth Minister for the Environment.
28 November 2008Gazettal of 'coordinated project' declaration (PDF icon 185 KB)
28 October 2008Application, including initial advice statement (PDF icon 584 KB), submitted.

Read more about the EIS process.

Project variation

This project is a variation of an earlier project proposal by the proponent involving a port at Shoalwater Bay.

That project was declared a 'coordinated project' on 18 July 2008 but was subsequently rejected by the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment due to its unacceptable impacts on the environment.

Media releases

Last updated: 09 Nov 2021